Guides
What is worth knowing before it happens, and what is worth checking once it has. None of these guides sells anything: several of them end by telling you not to call anyone.
Locked out of a holiday flat
It is the most common callout of the summer along this coast, and the only one where the lock is not the first problem. The first question is who can authorise that door being opened — and it is not you.
Does home insurance cover a locksmith?
Often yes, and a lot of people pay out of pocket without checking. Sometimes no, and it is worth knowing before somebody tells you "the insurance covers everything".
Keys locked in a hire car
It opens like any other car. What changes is who decides and who pays, and that is worth being clear about before anyone touches anything.
Five minutes before you call a locksmith
A good share of the callouts I get could have been solved without me, or cost half as much. This is what is worth checking first, from the person who loses money by telling you.
How to spot a locksmith scam
The locksmith scam is one of the most profitable there is, because it happens at the worst possible moment: at night, in a hurry, with no alternatives. It follows a script, and the script is recognisable.
Bumping, picking and cylinders: what actually protects you
Almost all the security of an ordinary door sits in one part that costs less than dinner on a Saturday. And almost nobody knows which one they have.